Instead of colorful flowers, coleus offers incredibly colorful foliage in a variety of interesting shapes and sizes. Coleus reached its first peak of popularity during the Victorian era, but fell into disfavor when the greenhouse industry began to produce it from seeds instead of cuttings. While seed-grown coleus has it place in the garden, the varieties produced from cuttings offer better-behaved plants.

Coleus is currently enjoying a revival due to the appearance of wonderful new varieties bred by crossing the best of the old Victorian varieties with their near cousins from Asia and Africa. The new varieties are often referred to as Sun Coleus. So much has changed about coleus that it is not surprising that their botanical name has changed too. We don't know taxonomists were thinking when they changed it to Solenostemon scutellarioides, but as long as coleus remains its common name, we will all know what we are talking about!

There are some advantages and disadvantages to seed-grown coleus varieties: They are inexpensive and widely available. They also offer consistency in size and shape. Unfortunately, seed-grown varieties flower vigorously, though not handsomely, and once they flower, they tend to decline.

The new hybrids are more sun tolerant and vigorous than their Victorian ancestors. They also sport some incredible new color combinations. Cutting-grown coleuses are more varied in plant habit, leaf form and size than their seed grown brethren. Best of all, they rarely flower. But they are also more expensive than seed coleus because the stock plants need to be maintained disease and insect free from one year to the next.

The cutting coleus are seldom tagged with their names, but are almost always sold as individual 41/2-inch plants or large tubs and baskets. If they are tagged, many of them have wonderful names like 'Duck's Foot', 'Pistachio Nightmare', 'Inky Fingers', 'Flirtin' Skirts', 'India Frills', 'Kiwi Fern' and 'Dada Daddy'. Many of the exciting new coleus have been developed right here in Minnesota.

Coleus can be used for mass plantings, backgrounds, accents and fillers.
They will also act as color referees for difficult combinations of flowers. The most limiting factor in using coleus is your imagination. Coleuses planted in containers and baskets make outstanding displays; just be sure to select varieties with habits that match your needs. Some can get very tall; others are more compact; and others cascade over the pot. You can find varieties that are sturdily upright and will reach 2+ feet tall. Other varieties of coleus will billow and trail at less than a foot high.

 In Minnesota, the new cutting grown varieties will handle full sun well unless we have a scorcher of a summer. As a rule of thumb, the red varieties are the most sun-tolerant. Some of the new red varieties of coleus have better color in the sun, but most are just as brilliant in high shade. Slugs may attack coleus when the weather is wet. Indoors they may have problems with mealy bugs.

When you are transplanting a coleus plant, ease it out of its container, being careful not to break up the root mass. With properly prepared beds or containers, about the only thing that coleus demands is good drainage. If you have a heavy clay soil or your soil stays damp, grow them in raised beds or containers. In containers, use a loose peat-based potting mix like Bachman’s Mighty Earthâ Potting soil.

Before planting, work a general purpose, slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocoteä or an organic one like Sustain™ into the bed. Since coleuses are grown for their foliage not their flowers, use a water-soluble fertilizer higher in nitrogen and lower in phosphorus. Bachman's Excel Gro™ acid formula is a good choice. If you are using an organic fertilizer, top-dress with blood meal in mid-summer.

Coleus propagates very easily from stem cuttings. Take a three- to four-inch cutting from the tip of the stem, remove any leaves that will be beneath the soil and put the cuttings in a clean pot of Bachman’s Mighty Earth™ potting soil. Water the cuttings well and enclose the pot in a clear plastic bag to minimize evaporation. Keep the cuttings in high light, but out of direct sunlight. In about two weeks the cuttings will have rooted. Remove the bag and grow them as a potted plant for the winter, then plant them outside when the temperatures warm in the spring. Coleus will also root in a glass of water; just take a cutting and strip off the lower leaves. Place the cutting in water and after about three weeks roots will form. Once rooted, transplant into soil.

Seed-grown coleuses are almost always sold in packs of 4. Some of the popular seed-grown series are Brilliant, Wizard and Carefree and within each series there are specific colors. Brilliant grows 15-20 inches, Carefree 12-14 inches and Wizard 10-12 inches.

Seed-grown coleus varieties need shade in the afternoon and pinching to prevent blooming. When you see a flower head forming, just pinch it off above the next set of leaves. Coleus is relatively easy to start from seed, though the seed is very small. They germinate in 10-12 days at 70º, so it's best to start them indoors. Plant the seeds in mid-March. They germinate best with light, so don't bury the seed; just press them into the surface of the soil.

Additional Bachman's Information
Fertilizing Annuals and Perennials
Watering Basics
Starting Seeds Indoors

Recommended Products
Seed-Grown Coleus Plants
Cutting-Grown Coleus Plants
Seeds and Seed Starting Supplies

©Bachman’s 2007